Sound reproducing apparatus



Sept 28, 1937. J; B. SUOMALA SOUND REPRODUCING APPARATUS Filed May 31. 1935 have previously times acts Patented Sept. 28, 1937 PATENT OFFIQE I 2,094,24 I SOUND REPRODUCING APPARATUS John B. Suomala, Camden, N. J assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1935, Serial No. 24,204

5 Claims. (C1. 179100.11)

This invention relates to sound reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to a combined phonograph and radio receiver.

1 The popular acceptance of radio as a means of transmittingand receiving intelligence has long caused the phonograph to suffer very greatly in the popularityit previously enjoyed, despite the fact that with radio one must either accept that which is being broadcast or nothing at all, whereas one can pick at will the selections which he may wish to reproduce on :a phonograph.

Various factors have been responsible for this,

chief among which were the cost of maintaining a phonograph as compared with that of maintainingand operating a radio receiver, and the relatively greatadvance of the radio art which made high fidelity transmission and reception possible in. the comparatively early days of this art. To keep pace with the competition offered by radio, the quality of sound recorded and reproduced by the phonograph has been so developed that in recent years it has become possible to employ the phonograph for reproduction of sound with as great fidelity as by radio, if not even greater. This has greatly increased interest in the phonograph again and has left the matter of cost practically the only other major factor which has retarded renewed acceptance thereof as an instrument of home entertainment.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improvedcombination phonograph and radio receiver which is extremely compact and very economical in cost. I n

Combination phonographs and radio receivers been proposed in single cabinets wherein a hinged lid is provided to afford access to the phonograph compartment at the top;

Generally, it is desirable to place an ornamental article on the top of the cabinet such as a vase, picture, or the like, and every time one wishes to use the phonograph, it becomes necessary to remove the articles from the lid before it can be raised in order to reach the phonograph parts. This not only constitutes a nuisance, but many as a deterrent to the use of the phonograph, and a further object of my invention, therefore, is to provide an improved combination phonograph and radio receiver in a single cabinet whichwill be entirely free from the foregoing objection. H

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved'combination phonograph and radio receiver as aforesaid wherein the phonograph section may be removed from the cabinet with great facility for the manipulation or adjustment of the phonograph parts and wherein, when the phonograph section is returned to normal position within the cabinet, the latter will have the appearance of a radio receiver cabinet alone.

Still another object of my invention is to pro-' vide an improved combination electric phonographand radio receiver wherein certain parts arein common to both the phonograph and the receiver and wherein each may be used independently of the other while maintaining the common parts operative at all times.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved combination phonograph'and radio receiver as aforesaid wherein the phonograph section is removable from the cabinet a predetermined extent and wherein the phonograph may be operated either with said section removed from the cabinet, entirely within the cabinet, or in any intermediate position.

It is another object of my invention to provide, in a combination phonograph and radio receiver ofthe type set forth, means by which not only the character of the sound reproduced by the f phonograph may be controlled, but by which the phonograph housing section may be readily removed or withdrawn from the cabinet, thus eliminating extraneous parts.

In accordance with my invention, therradio receiver, including the loudspeaker, is mounted in thelower portion of a suitable cabinet and the phonograph parts are mounted in a shallow drawer above the receiver chassis and below the. top, the drawer being withdrawable either from the front or one of the sides, as desired. To place a record on the turntable, the drawer is withdrawn to a predetermined stop position by means of a knob on the front thereof. This knob preferably also serves as a control for a power switch, radio-record switch, and phonograph volume control, the audio amplifier of the radio receiver also serving as an amplifier for the phonograph. By reason of its electrical connection to the audio amplifier regardless of the position of the drawer, the phonograph may be operated in any position thereof. Moreover, since the cabinet does not require a hinged lid, the top thereofis left clear for other uses.

In the appended claims, the novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth. with particularity. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects A and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment, when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a combination phonograph and radio receiver constructed in accordance with my invention, the phonograph section or drawer being shown withdrawn from the cabinet, and

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the drawer and phonograph parts shown in inserted position within the cabinet, the outline of the latter being shown in dot-and-dash lines.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout, there is shown a cabinet I having a fixed top 3, a pair of. opposite side walls 5 and a front wall I which is provided with a cutaway portion or opening 9 immediately below the top 3. Fixedly mounted in the cabinet I below the cutaway portion 9 is a radio receiver II of any conventional form, the receiver II including a loudspeaker I3 and an audio-amplifier (not shown).

The cabinet I is provided with two sets of runners or guides I5 between which a drawer I'I having a front panel I8 is mounted for sliding movement so that it may be withdrawn to protrude from the cabinet as shown in Figure 1 or entirely inserted therein, as shown in Figure 2. A pair of cooperable stop members 3-26, the former on the drawer I1 and the latter on one of the guides I5, serves to limit the extent to which the drawer Il may be withdrawn from the cabinet, while a plurality of anti-friction devices 2i on the guides I5, such as ball or roller i1 bearings, facilitate sliding movement of. the drawer. When the drawer I? is fully inserted, the front panel I8 thereof fits within and entirely fills or closes the cutaway portion 9. By making p 7 the exterior contour of the panel I8 like that of I the front wall I, the cabinet will have the appearance of the usual radio receiver cabinet alone with an uninterrupted front wall when the drawer I1 is shut.

Mounted on the drawer I? are the parts of a phonograph which includes a suitable motor 23 for driving a record supporting turntable 25 and a pick-up or electrical translating device 21 which is coupled to the audio amplifier of the radio receiver through the leads 29. A suitable control device 3i, such as a volume control or combined on-ofi switch and volume control, a tone control, or the like in circuit with the leads 29 serves to control the character of the sound reproducible from a record R. by the pick-up 21. Preferably, the control device 3| is mounted on the back of the panel I8 and has the usual operating shaft (not shown) extending through the panel for the reception of a knob or the like 33 by means of which the control device 3| may be conveniently operated. The knob 33 may also be availed of, when manually grasped, for facile withdrawal of the drawer I? from the cabinet.

The leads 29 are, of course, given sufiicient play to permit unhampered withdrawal of the drawer I'l until the stops I9 and 20 engage. Thereupon, a record R is placed on the turntable 25 and, since the pick-up 21 is constantly coupled to the audio-amplifier of the radio receiver, the drawer may be either left withdrawn, fully inserted into the cabinet or only partly inserted, as desired, while the record is played. If the drawer is inserted, the knob 33 may be operated while the insertion is being made to produce the de- 1 1 sired tone quality or character and the selection played without further attention by the operator.

mine

Although I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, I am fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. For example, the drawer Il may be made Withdrawable through one of the sides 5 instead of the front wall I. Also, instead of mounting the drawer II above the radio receiver, it may be mounted below it or to one side thereof, as desired. Furthermore, the control device 3| and its knob 33 may be replaced by a plurality of control devices all mounted on the panel I8 and each controlling some other characteristic of. the sound. Many other modifications will, no doubt, readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. My invention, therefore, is not to be limited except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a cabinet provided with front and side walls, a radio receiver fixedly mounted in said cabinet, said radio receiver including an audio-amplifier, a drawer mounted in said cabinet for withdrawal through one of the walls thereof, means limiting the extent to which said drawer is withdrawable from said cabinet, and a phonograph mounted on said drawer, said phonograph including an electrical translating device having operative connection with said audio-amplifier.

2. In combination, a cabinet provided with front and side walls one of which has a cut-away portion, a drawer having a front portion adapted to fit into and fill said cut-away portion when said drawer is in closed position, a radio receiver fixedly mounted in said cabinet below said drawer, said radio receiver including an audio-amplifier, and a phonograph mounted on said drawer and withdrawable therewith, said phonograph including an electrical translating device having operative connection with said audio-amplifier.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 characterized by the addition of. means on said drawer front portion for controlling the character of the sound reproducible by said phonograph, said control means including a member adapted to be manually grasped to facilitate moving said drawer.

l. In combination, a cabinet including front and side walls, one of said walls having a cutaway portion, a drawer movable through said cutaway portion and having a front panel adapted to close said cutaway portion when said drawer is in closed position within the cabinet, means on' said cabinet for guiding the movement of said drawer into and out of said cabinet, cooperable means on said drawer and on said cabinet for limiting the extent of withdrawal of the drawer from the cabinet, sound reproducing means comprising phonographic apparatus mounted on said drawer and a loudspeaker coupled to said phonographic apparatus, said loudspeaker being fixedly mounted in said cabinet, and means on said panel for controlling the character of sound reproducible by said sound reproducing means, said control means including a member adapted to be manually grasped to facilitate moving said drawer.

5. In combination, a cabinet including a fixed top and a front wall, said front wall having a cutaway portion therein adjacent the top, a

drawer movable through said cutaway portion and having a front panel adapted to fit into and close said cutaway portion when said drawer is in closed position within the cabinet, means on said'cabinet for guiding the movement of said drawer into and out of said cabinet, a phonograph including an electrical translating device mounted on said drawer, a radio receiver fixedly mounted in said cabinet below said drawer, said radio receiver including an audio-amplifier having operative connection with said translating device, and means on said panel for controlling the character of the sound reproducible by said phonograph, said control means including a member adapted to be manually grasped to facilitate moving said drawer.

-' JOHN B. SUOMALA. 

